


The Flower's Saint

by HallowedMasamune



Category: The Last Story
Genre: AU, F/M, Fantasy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 18:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11857539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HallowedMasamune/pseuds/HallowedMasamune
Summary: Liliana is a gifted mage that has been a target of assassin's for her entire life. Two knights are assigned to protect her, but she finds it odd that the knights in question are high in ranking. Why send these men to protect her? She decides to look into the strange events happening with Lazulis Castle shortly after an incident with one of the knights.





	The Flower's Saint

  Lazulis Island was a true gem of the Empire. Although it may seem to be isolated, it still had a major connection to the motherland. The castle in the middle of the island reached elegantly to the sky with its turrets. Sunlight glanced off of the stone walls and occasional windows. A giant cannon lay nestled among the castle's towers, acting as a silent defender of the island.  
The town that surrounded the castle's front gate, which wasn't quite as magnificent as Lazulis Castle, was nevertheless a grand gathering of houses, shops, and people. From the open plazas to the narrow alleyways, the townspeople walked, shopped, chatted, and carried out any business as they would any other day. Children ran around chasing animals or playing around the fountains, mothers chatted outside of their homes, and merchants and store owners shouted out their wares and prices to attract customers.  
The atmosphere of the island seemed completely at peace. But to a young knight from the Empire and his mentor, the island was hiding something ominous deep within its bright walls and under the happiness of the people. They hoped to find whatever it was and prevent any harm from coming to the town and its residents.

* * *

**Therius**  
  The castle looked large enough on the outside, but the inside made it seem even more spacious. There were many knights and servants who walked throughout the halls and courtyard, assisting others and carrying out their duties all the while. The ceiling was far above anyone's reach, and the floors were clean enough to reflect the people that walked on it.  
I preferred the courtyard that opened up to the outside in the middle of the castle. Although the castle walls themselves were not particularly close, there were many people wandering the halls. Well, specifically, there were many people who did nothing but gossip and sneak around like hyenas waiting to steal food. These nobles would sink to almost any level to receive any amount of prestige, fame, and money.  
  This attitude unfortunately has also spread to the knights of Lazulis Castle, as was evident by the lack of honor that the knights portrayed. They only cared about themselves and receiving a higher rank and pay rather than defending the people and the honor of himself as well as others. The abundance of greed that lingered in the castle sickened me, but I had to remain here for General Asthar. My mentor and fellow knight, General Asthar is an honorable man of great honor and integrity, with an extreme love for defending and helping those in need.  
General Asthar suddenly wished to travel the world to find the source of the decay of the land. Small lights that resembled fallen flower petals drifted through the air, and the only thing that seemed to caused it was the land dying. The cause of the land's decay was unknown, so General Asthar wished to try and find the reason for it. When we arrived at Lazulis Island, we could both feel as if something was amiss on the island and decided to stay and investigate further.  
  “Lost in thought, Therius?”  
  The sudden deep voice pulled me from my thoughts back to reality, and I snapped to attention and stiffened my posture. “Forgive me, General! I should've been more alert.”  
  The man that I was now facing chuckled. “Therius, relax. It's good to be lost in thought from time to time. Not in battle, obviously.”  
  General Asthar was a grand man full of laughter. He stood proud and tall, cloaked in a blue cloth jacket that covered his knight armor. His dark, cheerful eyes hid the deep wisdom and courage within him, and his smile contrasted against his brown hair and beard.  
  “Is everything alright, General?”, I asked him.  
  “Other than being concerned by your rigidness, I'm fine. And yourself?”  
  I forced myself to relax at his words. “Forgive me, General. I'm fine as well. I do admit that I feel as if I'm becoming claustrophobic from all of the people.”  
  “I understand completely.”, Asthar replied with a laugh. “Even in the castle, it seems like the whole of Lazulis Island is in here.”  
  He moved closer to the small fountain that I was standing nearby, placing an armored hand on my shoulder. “Then you shall be glad when I tell you of your new mission.”  
  “Mission?”  
  “Indeed! Count Arganan has asked...more like demanded, for you and I to protect a mage that lives on the outskirts of the town.”  
  “Both of us, General? Is the mage in that much peril?”  
  “I know not the smaller details, but you are right to be suspicious. Perhaps he has sent us in order to hide something from natives of the island.”  
  “It seems equally as bad, if not worse, for outsiders to be aware of any secret of his.”, I responded.  
  “I was thinking the same, lad. Regardless, we cannot refuse a call for help, so we will go to the mage's aid.” He patted my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. “It shall be easy for the two of us. We will go when you are ready.”  
~  
  The town was its usual cheerful and busy disposition as General Asthar and I walked to our destination. People who noticed us occasionally bowed or gave overly polite greetings, and we did our best to greet everyone in return.  
  The mage that we were charged to protect lived on the edge of the town, and as we drew closer the amount of people in the streets dwindled. There were still a fair amount of people, but not nearly as much as in the heart of the city. I much preferred it this way, with the streets not so crowded so that you had to brush against others to walk around.  
  The gate that led outside of Lazulis Town was visible from the mage's house, but still a few houses away. It was a small-looking house, with the multiple gardens of a variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and other plants that I didn't recognize surrounding the outside. There was a woman tending to the gardens, and she was startled when she noticed us approach. General Asthar apologized and explained why we were there, and the woman relaxed and welcomed us into the house after explaining that she was the mage's mother.  
  Inside the house was more spacious than I expected; we entered into a central sitting area that shared its space with an area that seemed to be a kitchen. A hallway further into the sitting area split off into three directions, which I assumed were rooms for the people who lived here.  
  The woman who showed us in, Merissa, invited us to sit in the living area as she prepared tea for us. We thanked her and politely took our seats, and General Asthar was quick to strike a conversation.  
  “This is a very lovely home you have, my lady.”, he said with a smile.  
  “Oh, thank you. It's not much, but Liliana and I make the best of it.”, Merissa replied above the clatter of dishware.  
  “Is it just you and Lady Liliana who live here?”, Asthar asked.  
  “Yes, but we do have patients who may have to stay overnight or longer. Other than that, it's just the two of us.”  
  “I see.”  
  “Are you Lady Liliana's mother, madam?”, I asked.  
  She glanced toward me and smiled sweetly. “Yes, I am, and a very proud one at that.”  
  “Where might she be?”, Asthar inquired.  
  Lady Merissa turned back to the tea. “She went into town to sell some of the extra herbs that we've grown. She's usually back around this time, though.”  
  General Asthar and I quickly noticed her change in tone. He nodded to me, and I immediately rose from my seat.  
  “I will go search for her, if you'd like.”, I said.  
  “Oh no, you don't have to. I was going to go find her myself soon.”, Merissa said.  
  “It's alright, my lady. Even if you immediately went to go find her, we would do so in your place.”, General Asthar assured her.  
  I bowed to Merissa and left to find Liliana.

* * *

**Lilia**  
  They couldn't have just left me alone for one day, could they? They just had to show up as soon as I had begun to wrap up for the day and head home. This is just GREAT. At least they didn't involve anyone else; I only fully noticed them when I felt like I was being followed as I started heading home. Now I had to run myself around town to get these guys off my tail so that they wouldn't follow me home and get Mother involved.  
  Acting as if nothing was wrong, I walked briskly through any tight alleyway that I could find hoping that all the quick turns would confuse my followers and throw them off. These guys were good, however, and managed to keep up with me.  
  Ever since I was barely 11, I've had people chasing or following me. I've never been able to ask the pursuers directly why they wanted me, but the only explanation that I received was that I was special in some way that made me valuable for some people. My mother told me that, and I made myself be contempt with that answer. I couldn't help but wonder, however, about what it was that made me so 'special' compared to other people.  
  The two stalkers persistently continued to follow me, which slowly started to chip at my patience. I've been twisting and turning through Lazulis Town for over 20 minutes, yet they continued to pursue me. I wanted to use my magic to drive them off, but there were people nearby and the alleyways were too close. I didn't have my dagger with me, and they seemed more than prepared for a fight, so I was left to try to figure something out as I walked.  
  ...Until I noticed that one of them had disappeared.  
  Admittedly I almost turned around to look for the other person, but I kept my composure and resisted the urge. If I freaked out, they might react and involve others, and that's the last thing that I wanted. I kept my pace steady and continued walking, more observant of my surroundings in order to find the other stalker. I was so fixated on trying to find the missing one that I almost hit a wall, and I realized that I had ran myself into a dead end.  
  “Took me long enough to get to you.”, someone said from behind me, a tint of aggravation in her voice.  
  I didn't turn around, but I did acknowledge the person. “You think this will be easy for you?”  
  “I've heard that you're a feisty one, so I've come prepared.”, she replied.  
  As soon as she finished speaking, I flung myself at her, aiming a kick at her side. She swiftly moved away and I could see a slightly bewildered look on her face. I took advantage of that and went after her again, but she managed to evade all of my blows. I would've rather had my dagger for a confrontation like this, but I could manage like this. I can use my magic here since there were only the two of us, so that was a plus. I just had to have enough time to actually cast it, and I was sure that this woman wouldn't be nice enough to just let me cast any magic.  
  I heard someone from behind me, but I couldn't see who it was due to having to evade blows from the first stalker.  
  “Finally come to help me?!l”, the girl yelled out.  
  I felt dread creep through my veins. One person was bad enough, but two would only make things more difficult for me. Now there was absolutely no chance of casting magic, and I'd have to try to steal a weapon to cause any real damage.  
  A sword hilt that slammed into the stalker's face immediately erased any dread that flowed through me.  
  The woman couldn't even gasp in surprise and fell silently on her back to the ground. I followed the sword hilt up to the person who wielded it. I could only see white under a dark cloak until the person stopped moving to observe the person they'd just knocked unconscious. From his armor I assumed that he was a knight; it was elaborate and detailed, yet looked sturdy enough to defend its wearer through the toughest steel. He stood a few inches taller than me, and he had wavy white hair with a braided rattail that fell down his back past his waist. When he turned to face me, I noticed that he had pale skin and emerald eyes that were honest and seemed to search for honesty in others.  
  “Are you alright, madam?”, he asked me as he extended his armored hand to me.  
  “Y-yeah, I'm fine.” I didn't realize that I had fallen onto the ground. I took his hand, and he lifted me to my feet with ease.  
  “Any injuries?”, he inquired.  
  “No. Any for you?”  
  “None at all.” He bowed slightly to me. “I am Therius, and I am one of the knights assigned to protect you. The circumstances could have been better, but I'm still honored to make you acquaintance.”  
  I was a little stunned from him suddenly bowing to me, so I was a bit late with a reply. “Oh, I see. I'm Lilia, Nice to meet you, although I have to agree with you on the meeting.”  
  He straightened himself. “Were you trying to return home?”  
  “Yeah. I was trying to lose those guys so that Mom wouldn't get involved.”, I replied.  
  “I see. Does this happen often?”  
  “Every once in a while. This was the first time that I haven't been able to lose them.”  
  “Hopefully that threat will dissipate now that you have knights to protect you.”  
  “Right.” Air caught in my throat as I suddenly remembered that there was only one person unconscious. “Wait, there was a second guy. Where did he go?”  
  “I found him before he reached this area. He and his friend had planned to catch you in a pincer attack, so I used that to surprise the woman here. I apologize if I alarmed you.”  
  “Oh...no, you didn't. Did you leave him somewhere?”  
  “The other knight assigned to protect you kept him while I came here. He will carry the assailant to your home to meet us, and then take them both to the dungeon in the castle.”  
  This man was very straightforward with his answers, not missing a beat and explaining everything as clear as a summer day. Not to mention that he was ridiculously formal, but for some reason it wasn't as bad talking with him as it was to other knights or people who frequently visit the castle. I guess I should expect that from a knight, but I didn't have the best examples to base the typical behavior of a knight on. The ones who patrol the city aren't the nicest people and like to force others to give them free food and booze, so Therius was a vast improvement from what I was used to from a knight.  
  “Well, my lady, I shall escort you home now. Are you ready to go?”, Therius suddenly asked.  
  “Oh, yeah, sure. I appreciate that.”, I said to him.  
  He nodded, then lifted the woman he knocked out onto his shoulders with ease. I tried to offer to help him, but he kindly told me that he was able to carry her, and we began to head back home.


End file.
